Probability has no memory. It doesn’t matter how many times a coin may have turned up tails, the next flip has just as much chance of showing heads as any other. Every flip of the coin, every roll of the dice, is a world unto itself; what happened before has no influence on what comes next. When times get tough, we can view our lives in just the same way. Every day has the chance to be a fresh start if we wish, free of all the baggage that preceded it. ‘Clean Cut’, the new single from Melbourne based sister duo Charm of Finches, applies a similar way of thinking as a way to move on in the wake of a break-up. Leaving the misfortunes of the past behind, and letting the new day bring with it a fresh roll of the dice. Taken from their forthcoming album Marlinchen in the Snow, out 19th April, its rich harmonies, understated strings and bold emphatic drums make this one truly charming slice of baroque pop. With its memorable self-directed music video, interpreting the cut ties as the strings of marionettes come to life, further deepening the track’s bewitching appeal.
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Top Tracks: Oliver Hohlbrugger – Velveteen
Thrilling as it is to hear something entirely new, music that makes you think “I’ve never heard anything like this“, sometimes it’s just as thrilling to hear music that makes you think “I didn’t know they still made music like this anymore“. Hearing a track that so perfectly embodies the vibe of a by-gone era, while still managing to add its own unique twist, you can almost imagine being flung back in time to hear a classic song for the very first time. With his new single ‘Velveteen’, Norwegian artist Oliver Hohlbrugger astutely captures the protopunk spirit of acts like Iggy Pop and The Velvet Underground. Raw and rough around the edges, boasting unrelenting energy and unassailable swagger. Its gutsy driving pace, akin to Bowie’s ‘Suffragette City’, ignites something within you with a kind of zeal that almost feels like a forgotten art. And just when you think the tank must be running on empty, it pulls a spirited sax solo out of reserve as one final parting gift.
Album Review: Katherine Priddy – The Pendulum Swing
Top Tracks: Exploring Birdsong – The Collapse
Much as we love to hear about works of art born in mere minutes in a sudden rush of inspiration, I think there’s a similar romanticism to be found in projects that need fresh perspective from an older, wiser self in order to be fully realised. Maybe the artist needed time to hone their craft before they could realise their vision, or there was some missing piece in need of discovery, or maybe fate was just intent on saving the final form for a special occasion. Sometimes great paintings can go years between brushstrokes, noteworthy novels can go through many drafts before going to print, and in the case of ‘The Collapse’ sometimes bands can breathe new life into old demos. Spellbinding progressive pop trio Exploring Birdsong – reflecting first on where they started, before looking forward toward their debut album – have taken what started life as a piano demo and reimagined it as one of their most heavy and fierce outings to date. With its gut punch bass and towering chorus, the final destination is well worth the journey.
Album Review: The Last Dinner Party – Prelude To Ecstasy
Album Review: The Amazing – Piggies
Why Grassroots Gigs Are Live Music At Its Best
Every music lover has been there. The buzz of finally seeing your favourite band being amplified ten-thousandfold by an arena full of likeminded fans. A sea of people swept up into a frenzy when the music drops, the lights dim, and a flurry of distant motion in the darkness signifies the start of something special. The lights, the crowd, the scale of it all. The masses gathered in a vast cathedral in worship of music itself. There’s an inherent electricity that comes with the grandeur of arena sized gigs, a thrill unlike anything else. And yet, with each passing year, I find myself returning for another hit less and less. These days I get my buzz elsewhere; backrooms of bars, dingy basements, church halls in forgotten backwaters. And you know what?… It’s a change I feel all the better for. Continue reading
Top Tracks: Dover Lynn Fox – Winter Son
The most commonly sited advice for budding authors is to “write what you know”. It’s a good rule of thumb for songwriters too; turn those butterflies in your stomach into a love song, channel heartache into a cathartic break-up ballad etc. But rules are made to be broken, and to my mind ‘Winter Son’ follows a very different philosophy – write what you need. What you yearn for, what you’re missing. Penned in the wake of her father’s cancer diagnosis, Canadian singer/songwriter Dover Lynn Fox’s latest single doesn’t linger on the sadness and fear which comes with such revelations. Instead ‘Winter Son’ is alight with a sense of hope and comfort. The punchy rhythm section driving you forward to take each day as it comes. The breezy earworm melodies and Dover’s warm wistful vocals finding light on the road ahead. Brimming with confidence and polished to a perfect finish, this track manages to turn a time of great uncertainty into something solid and dependable to lean on.
Top Tracks: Kohla – Sweetest Love
There’s something about ‘Sweetest Love’ that feels like listening to a vinyl record for the very first time. Flicking through an old crate full of them until a particular cover catches your eye. Sliding the record from it’s sleeve with a delicate touch, blowing away a fine coating of dust. Dropping the needle, being absorbed by the analogue hum and crackle, before some warm soulful voice spills out of the speakers like witchcraft. The tactile intimacy of the whole ritual. Hearing a piece of music that may have stirred generations of listeners before you, and yet in that moment it’s just you and the song. Between the soft record-like rustle to the production, the hushed romanticism of Kohla’s gossamer vocals, and the austere elegance of the piano arrangement which plays like a lullaby from a cherished music box, ‘Sweetest Love’ has an enamouring air of timeless beauty to it.
Top Tracks: The American Hotel System – Fire
The pen is mightier than the sword. This old adage often gets misinterpreted as just some flowery metaphor, when the truth is far more literal. Words are the most powerful tools mankind has ever created. The right combination strung together could be enough to start or end a war, incite hate or inspire love, change the way others view the world, even echo through the ages long after we’re gone. Most of us might never find the right words to change the world, but such a powerful tool at our disposal can still shape the lives of those around us. It all depends on how you choose to wield them. ‘Fire’ is a reminder of how deep something spoken in anger can cut. How instead of letting our pride, arrogance and frustration light a spark we can’t undo, we can make the conscious decision to use our words to lift up those around us and speak a better world into being. In pairing that heartening message with soaring elegant strings, alongside expressive percussion and anthemic vocals that remind me of Manchester Orchestra, The American Hotel System have said everything right to earn themselves a new fan.
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